For Liam Payne, one of the greatest parts of his year was rooted in his new experiences on the road — and namely stepping out of his comfort zone by himself to see what playing to a full arena without his bandmates would feel like.

In his latest of several retrospective Instagram posts looking back on 2017, Payne shared some favorite pics of his performances from this year, and noted that there was a big difference between hitting the road with Harry, Niall, and Louis than singing "Strip That Down" for screaming crowds.

"I've got to perform to some amazing crowds this year, starting with 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium!" he writes. "With the boys you had the chance to bounce off each other, when you’re on your own it’s just you and you have to get out and just do it!"

Here's to more growth in 2018 — and more epic shows from all the 1D guys.